1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns dredges for bottom dwelling seafood such as oysters. More particularly, it relates to a dredge which automatically and efficiently empties the oysters onto a boat, and then propels the dredge basket back into the water.
2. General Discussion of the Background
The background of the invention is more fully set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,608,217 which patent is fully incorporated by reference.
It is commonly known that bottom dwelling seafood such as oysters can be harvested by using a dredge which is dragged along the bottom of a body of water. The dredge fills with oysters, and must then be hoisted up into a boat where it is usually manually emptied and thrown back into the water. Manual upending and emptying of the basket, and manual launching of the empty oyster dredge, has proven time consuming and inefficient. Since oyster dredges are often quite heavy, the prior art approach has usually required several persons.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,608,217 disclosed an oyster dredge which could be automatically upended and emptied as it was dragged over the side of a boat. This prior art device proved, however, to be unworkable since it was structurally quite heavy. The weight of the device caused it to dig into soft surface formations on the bottom of the body of water. Another drawback with this device was that it was pivoted to an upended condition at a substantial speed, thereby often throwing oysters all over the deck of the boat. Yet another drawback with this prior art device was its inability to be effectively propelled a distance back into the water for additional dredging.
It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide an oyster dredge which can be automatically upended and emptied.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a dredge that is light enough that it will not dig into the surface of soft formations along which it is being dragged.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a dredge having means for slowing movement of the dredge frame as it is being pivoted to an upended position.
Still another object of the invention is to provide such a dredge which can easily be propelled a suitable distance out into the water from the edge of the boat.